Color illuminating device



y 1963 L. M. ABBOTT COLOR ILLUMINATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledApril 18, 1962 y 1963 M. ABBOTT COLOR ILLUMINATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed April 18, 1962 United States Patent 3,099,397 COLOR ILLUMINATINGDEVICE L'ouis M. Abbott, 4437 N. Seeley Ave., Chicago 25, Ill. FiledApr. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 188,391 1 Claim. 01. 240-31 The presentinvention relates to a color illuminating device for illuminating incolor rooms, theaters, skating rinks, swimming pools, and the like.

An object of the present invention is to prov1de a device for providingcolored illumination in any area such as a residence, theater, swimmingpool, gymnasium, or the like which is automatic in operation, one whichmay be employed to repeatedly change .the color of the illumination incycles, one which may be employed to illuminate an area in anyparticular color desired, and one which is highly effective in action.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an illuminatingdevice which lends itself to either use with fluorescent tubes orincandescent bulbs, one which may be employed to rapidly change thecolor or to have a slow change from one color to another, one which maybe manufactured in quantity at reasonable cost, and one which isfoolproof in operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will befully apparent from the following description when taken in connectionwith the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the device of the present inventionwith the case thereof broken away to show the interior of the case,

FIGURE 2 is a view taken on the line 22 of FIG- URE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view with portions broken away,

FIGURE 4 is a detail view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 and on anenlarged scale,

FIGURE 5 is a View taken on the line 5-5 of FIG- URE 4,

FIGURE 6 is a view on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE1, and

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view showing the electrical circuit employed inthe present invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicatelike parts throughout the several views, a casing or case 10 is shown insection in FIGURE 1 and in FIGURE 2 and it comprises a front wall 12having an opening 14 therein, side walls 16 and 18, and back walls 20,22 and 24, as shown most clearly in FIG- URE 2.

In FIGURE 1, end walls 26 and 28 are shown joining the adjacent ends ofthe side walls 16 and 18 together.

Carried on the side walls 16 and 18 are pairs of brackets 30 and 32 withthe brackets 30 adjacent the end wall 26 and the brackets 32 adjacentthe end wall 28.

Rotatably supported in one pair of brackets 30 and 32 is a rotatableshaft 34 and rotatably supported in the other pair of brackets isanother shaft 36.

As shown in FIGURE 3, with reference to the shaft 36, there is a chain38 secured by one end to each of the shafts 34 and 36 inwardly of eachend of the latter. The other end of each chain 38 associated with eachshaft 34 or 36 is secured to a bar 40, 42 between which is stretched asheet of transparent colored material as at 44. The sheet 44 is shownwound upon the shaft 34 for most of its length in FIGURE 3. Adjacent theside edges of the sheet 44 and having their ends secured in the sidewalls 16 and 18 are support rods 46 and 48 along which slide the bars 40and 42 as the sheet 44 is unrolled from one shaft 34 to the other shaft36 and reversed.

Above and spaced from the rods 46 and 48 are other ice hold down rods 50and 52 also having their ends anchored in the side walls 16 and :18, asshown in FIG- URE 3.

Upwardly sloping posts 54 and 56, adjacent each end of the bars 40 and42 support on their upper ends plates 58 which serve as stops for thebars 40 and 42 and prevent their moving longitudinally with respect tothe associated shafts 34 and 36.

A motor with a built-in speed reducer is indicated by the numeral 60 andit has its drive shaft 62 operatively connected to the shafts 34 and 36.The means of connection of the shaft 62 to the shafts 34 and 36 includessprockets 64 and 66 on the shafts 34 and 36, respectively, and sprockets68 and 70 which are freely rotatable on the shaft 62. A chain 72 joinsthe sprockets 64 and 68 and another chain 74 joins the sprockets 66 and70.

An important feature of the invention resides in a reversing clutcharrangement or assembly 76 by means of which the shaft 62 drives eitherthe shaft 34 or the shaft 36.

The drive means for the shafts 34 and 36 includes a disc 78 secured tothe inner face of each of the sprockets 68 and 70, as shown in FIGURE 4.Each disc 78 has -tangentially facing notches 80 which are engaged bythe ends of springs 82 and 84 which have their other ends formedintegrally and connected to a pin 86 extending between the legs of aU-shaped bracket 88. The bight of the bracket 88 is secured to one endof a bar 90 which is formed to an eye formation at its other end and iscircumposed about the shaft 62 and fixedly secured thereto by solderingor other conventional means, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The notches 80 of the discs 78 face in opposite directions and rotationof the shaft 62 in one direction will result in either the spring 82 orthe spring 84 having its free end received in the notch 80 of theassociated disc 78 to thereby drive the associated sprocket 68 or 70.

The motor 60 is reversible and means is provided operatively connectedto the sheet 44 for periodically reversing the direction of travel ofthe sheet 44 by reversing the motor 60.

This means includes a single-throw double-pole switch 92 (FIGURE 6)having an operating button 94. A tapering arm 96 is mounted on a bracket98 carried by the switch 92 and is movable toward and away from thebutton 94. An upright :arm 100 is pivotally connected to the lower endof the switch 92, as shown in FIGURE -1, and is engageable with the arm96 and effective to move the arm 96 responsive to movement of .the arm100 toward and away from the side wall 16.

The arm 100 has its upper end portion in the line of travel of the bars40 and 42 and engaged by the bars 40 and 42 when the sheet 44 travels tofirst wind itself on the shaft 34 and then travels in the otherdirection to wind itself on the shaft 36.

A source of illumination is provided for the device of the presentinvention and in the preferred form this consists in a pair offlourescent tubes 102 mounted in the conventional fluorescent tubesockets 104 which project from the ballast shielding casings 106-, allof conventional construction.

Oarried on the outside of the case 1d are switches 108 and 110 which areshown in FIGURE 7 to be in circuit with the motor 60 and the tubes 102.

In operation, the switch 110 may be closed to light the tubes 102without energizing the motor 60. When the switch 108 is closed the motor60* and the tubes are both energized and the motor will travel first inone direction and then in the other responsive to the actuation of theswitch 92 by the arm 100. The bars 40 and 42 being at the ends of thesheet 44, which may be of any length, opcrate the switch 92 to reversethe motor 60 when the sheet has traveled completely over the tubes 102from one end to the other of the sheet 44.

It is intended that the sheet 44 be made up of panels of differentcolors with each of them transparent so that the area to be illuminatedmay be bathed with colored lights as desired.

In FIGURE 4 the shaft 62 is shown to be composed angle brackets 118 and120 on the upper ends of the side walls 16 and 18, respectively. Thispermits the device to be used in a swimming pool wall or adjacent aWater fall for decorative purposes.

The case .10 may be formed in various shapes such as triangular so as tofill a corner if desired or it may take any shape found practical forthe purpose intended. Also, size may be varied so that the device of thepresent invention can cover large areas as well as small areas. Otherchanges and modifications in the device are contemplated and while only!a preferred embodiment of the invention is herein shown, otherembodiments are contemplated within the terms of the invention as setforth in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In an illuminating device including a casing, a source of illuminationwithin said casing, a pair of rotatable shafts disposed one on each sideof said source, a reversible motor mounted within said casing, a driveshaft projecting from said motor, a single-throw double-pole switchelectrically connected to said motor, and an elongated sheet having theporfion adjacent one end wound on one of said shafts and having theother end connected to the other shaft for winding thereon responsive torotation of said other shaft, a sprocket fixedly secured to each of saidrotatable shafts, a pair of sprockets arranged in spaced relation andfreely rotatable on said drive shaft, a chain drivably connecting eachof said rotatable shaft sprockets to one of said drive shaft sprockets,a disc carried by each of said drive shaft sprockets, each of said discsbeing provided with tangentially facing notches, the notches of one ofsaid discs facing in the opposite direction to the notches of the otherof said discs, a U-shaped bracket connected to the portion of said driveshaft between said discs for rotation therewith, a pin extending betweenthe legs of said bracket and carried thereby, a pair of springs eachhaving one end connected to said pin and each having the other endreceivably engaged in the notches of the adjacent one of said discs, oneof said springs being operable to drive one of said drive shaftsprockets in one-direction responsive to rotation of said drive shaft inone direction and the other of said springs being operable to drive theother of said drive shaft sprockets in the other direction responsive torotation of' said drive shaft in the other direction, and means carriedon each end of said sheet operatively connected to said switch operableto actuate said switch in one direction responsive to traveling movementof said sheet when wound upon one of said rotatable shafts and operableto actuate said switch in the other direction responsive to winding ofsaid sheet upon the other of said rotatable shafts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS676,445 Peters-on June 18, 1901 1,004,671 Miller Oct. 3, 1911 1,740,517Morgeson Dec. 24, 1929' 1,797,534 Svoboda -1 Mar. 24, 1931 2,192,072Fasig Feb. 27, 1940 2,510,409 McPhaul June 6, 1950

